Photo courtesy of New York City DOT
A long-awaited new Brooklyn Bridge bike lane officially opens
Cyclists finally have a protected and permanent two-way path on the iconic bridge, but some activists complain that it's too narrow
After years of anticipation, a new two-way bike lane stretches over the East River.
If you’ve ever attempted to bike the Brooklyn Bridge on a busy day, you know that the walkway is typically congested with meandering tourists, befuddled gawkers and random wedding photo shoots. This muddled approach to pedestrian and cyclist travel was dangerous to all.
“There was always a thrill of going over the bridge and not knowing if you’d get to the other side alive,” Lucia Moses, a journalist who used to commute from Brooklyn by bike, deadpanned earlier this year.
Now, there is a new way across. A newly constructed bike lane finally opened Tuesday.
The two-way lane carries bikers in both directions and is separated from traffic by a concrete and chain link barrier. The bridge’s elevated promenade, which sees upwards of 10,000 visitors daily, is now restricted to pedestrians.
On September 14, the de Blasio administration officially cut the ribbon on the project. In order to provide a safe lane for cyclists, the innermost Manhattan-bound vehicular lane on the bridge was removed and replaced with a protected bike lane.
Photo courtesy of New York City DOT
The project was initially announced in January as part of de Blasio’s “Bridges for the People” initiative. The plan, outlined in the mayor’s final State of the City speech, proposed bicycle and pedestrian accessibility improvements on both the Brooklyn and Queensboro Bridges.
“This is a historic moment as we work to get New Yorkers out of their cars and promote sustainable modes of transportation,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman in a statement. “Bridges for the People is a step in the right direction towards a safer and more sustainable transportation future that puts people first – and we look forward to implementing similar changes to the Queensboro Bridge this year.”
The new bike lane marks a victory for cyclists who have long pushed for safer solutions on the two East River crossings. Before this year, the de Blasio administration spent years opposing redesigns to the roadway, despite dangerous conditions on the shared foot and bike path. As cycling surged over the pandemic, the need for biking accommodations grew even more essential.
Although the new bike lane is a welcome improvement, transportation advocates have expressed concerns over its design. The new lane is only 8 feet wide and lacks shoulders for cyclists to safely stop on. According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, the optimal width for a two-way cycle track is 12 feet.
“It makes an ideal one way lane,” Katherine Willis, a co-chair of the Bridges 4 People campaign, told Gothamist. “As soon as you have people coming toward you, it will be too crowded and dangerous. We expect that to happen immediately.”
138 years after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, a new bike path takes a lane and @NYC_DOT takes biking across the East River to its logical conclusion. The only question is if one lane will be enough. pic.twitter.com/I3efMZGHhU
— Janette Sadik-Khan (@JSadikKhan) September 14, 2021
